Lucknow Uttar Pradesh recorded 22,595 road fatalities in 2022, an increase of 1,368 from 2021 figures. HT accessed the latest Department of Transportation report disclosing the death toll. Ironically, the figures come at a time when the state government is looking at a month-long road safety campaign running from January 4 to February 5.
The rise in the death toll contradicts high levels of government claims that measures are being taken to ensure road safety. In fact, Uttar Pradesh has had the highest number of road fatalities in the country for several years. Though states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have more road accidents than Uttar Pradesh.
“Despite various efforts, the increasing number of road accidents is undoubtedly a matter of grave concern to all of us,” said PS Satyarthi, Deputy Commissioner for Road Safety. Better and faster emergency care for victims at critical times, especially on highways and motorways,” he added.
According to the Department of Transport’s report, UP had a total of 41,746 road accidents between January 2022 and December 2022, resulting in 22,595 deaths and 28,541 injuries. A comparative analysis of the 2022 data with the 2021 data shows a 6.4% increase in deaths and a 14.6% increase in injuries last year. Likewise, the number of accidents jumped 10.6 percent year-over-year.
According to the report, Kanpur recorded the highest traffic fatalities in the state with 640, followed by Prayagraj (603), Lucknow (587), Agra (548), Bulandshahr (542), Gorakhpur (512) and Unnao (510). Balrampur (63.4%), Deoria (61.2%), Lucknow (54.1%) and Pilibhit (49%) had the fastest growth in road accidents. Incidentally, Lucknow is also a city with a population of over 1 million that reported the largest drop in road fatalities in the country.
Among the top UP districts in terms of traffic fatalities, only Agra recorded a negative growth of 0.2%. Its reported death toll is just one less than the total reported in 2021, when 547 people were killed in road accidents in the region. Meanwhile, 27 other districts – including Aligarh, Meerut, Kanpur (Dhat) and Ghaziabad – have also recorded a downward trend in the number of deaths compared to 2021.
Another startling revelation from the report is that the UP’s 20 districts with the highest traffic fatalities over three years also continue the trend in 2022 with little improvement. “Except for some additions and deletions, the same 20 districts will also report the highest number of deaths in 2022,” Satyarthi added.
